- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-hfcgCaLl8 -> This is so sad. Not the match but the post-match stuff with Hombre Bala on crutches being honored on the show raising money for his surgery. I actually feel like such an idiot b/c I understood why Atlantis and Bucanero were there and so broken up but I couldn't figure why Maximo was in tears. It was only afterwards that I remembered he married India Sioux who is Hombre Bala's daughter which basically united the Brazos and Piratas. Imagine those family gatherings! Bala was always an underrated wrestler who always got overshadowed by his younger brother Pirata Morgan. The Pirata/Bala/Verdugo trio was just fantabulous and provided a ton of memorable moments even though their run was so short. Unfortunately for Bala, after that trio he got saddled with gimmicks that people weren't a fan of such as the Cavernicolas deal and of course The Monster. Even the smarkiest of smark fans just dismissed the gimmicks but it was the same Bala. Just bumping his ass off and working as hard as he could. Even in the 2000's as The Monster he was always trying new stuff with Alebrije and took bumps no 50 year old should have been taking. He never got the amount of respect he should have gotten as a veteran who hung around to work with youngsters instead of his just his buddies like you see with a lot of the vets who stick around for too long. Hopefully he recovers from this surgery and can at least move around enough to teach classes in the future. If I had it in me I'd do a Hombre Bala 50 much like the segundacaida guys did for Black Terry.

- Moving onto happier things... Robin or Brazo Metalico -> who is the better 3rd gen Brazo? Granted I've seen very little of Robin (two TV appearences + the UD show) - I really think he's a great Robin Hood clone. He's got the style down and really comes off as a clone of the original which is a good thing. Would like to see him in some more extended mat sections to see if he can hang much like Brazo Metalico can. Metalico has looked great since returning to IWRG in August. Most should take notice of him from the excellent IWRG tag opener in their return to TV. ByL forum folks are dubbing him the new La Mascara but hopefully he aims higher than that! It'll be interesting to watch both of these guys progress.

- It always amazes me how Skayde and his students will always try at least one new thing per match no matter what tiny arena they are working in. It's not always even a wacky highspot, just a little new trick on the mat or a funky way to setup a spot they always do. It's fantastic. I wish every wrestler was taught to work that way. Watching Neo bark out orders in Spanish to get the T2P guys to keep up just brought a smile to my face.

- Never thought I'd end up seeing a match with Los Temerarios vs Los Missioneros De La Muerte (yes, that means Navarro vs Terry) that would end up being a complete bloody brawl including SPILLING OUT ONTO THE STREETS! I certainly expected a way different match but can't say I was too disappointed with the result. Always great to see a bloody brawl with vets who know how to pull it off. A nice rare find. Hoping I can acquire more shows like this.

- Mistico vs Volador from 9/17 was epic. No, it's not a MOTYC like Sombra/Volador or Negro/Dorada. Dr. Lucha said it correctly - Mistico is not really a singles match type wrestler b/c he doesn't have the offense for it and he relies too much on the generic CMLL singles match formula. However this match had more 10x more heat than both the previous matches combined. Volador as a rudo act is big time over and he's done a marvelous job with the role. This is the way it should have been from day one of this year to be quite honest. TV really edited the third fall but it went long enough that even with the edits it didn't seem rushed. The finish was just brilliant and I'm glad somehow had the guts to book it to end the way it did. Mistico missing his tornillo dive and being semi-KO'ed. As soon as he stumbled to his feet in the ring... ~BACKCRACKER! Very IWRG-ish! Volador got the clean win he desperately needed and the crowd ERUPTED! Volador will now make money for CMLL as a rudo. This is how it's done. The deal with Satanico afterwards was very nice and seemed to be a shoot b/c Satanico was first to grab Volador and say something privately to him which prompted Volador to grab the mic and dedicate the win to his teacher.

- I really want to upload this extended matwork/rope running sequence between Panico and Triton (not Pantera, the guy who replaced him in mid-1993) from a TV show I watched recently. I'm just afraid it'll out me as the biggest dork ever. I just found it so creative the way they were maneuvering on the mat and built up to their rope running spots that were ever so simple but ever so creative. It surprised me coming from these two who were never really known to stand out. They had another great exchange later in the match when they were the final two left. This is really making me want to dig out some CMLL TV shows from 92/93 that I haven't watched in ages. Their undercard guys were actually very good but got no attention b/c of how spectacular all the AAA undercard guys were. (BTW, match was Metalico/Triton/Antar vs Panico/Tornado Negro/A MOTIVATED KUNG FU from July '93 - well worth hunting down)

- By the time I post next I should have seen the Dorada/Mistico vs Aguila/Garza tag title match. I'm not expecting much. The buildup has been really lackluster and it's involved Tirantes big time. From what I read the match is more focused on him rather than the titles so it's really gotten me less interested in watching the actual match. I really want Tirantes to go away by the end of the year. I just fear he isn't going anywhere b/c Paco is a fan of the old-time heel ref ala Gran Davis.

- Does anyone know how to record the online GDL local TV stream? Can someone teach me? I want to share the joys of Palacio Negro with the youtube world and even when Palacio doesn't show up we still have other locals who provide good matches like this week the rudos vs rudos match with Malefico and Exterminador vs Mr. and Rey Trueno was quite decent. They really went all out in the third fall. Shame this footage will be seemingly lost forever after the initial airing.

Non-Lucha quick thoughts...

- Vintage Collection this week aired the WWF IC Title tournament from 1990! Hello earliest childhood memories! I will always fondly remember this tournament. It was so great to know there'd be a match with two "stars" on TV every week for a few straight weeks b/c this was back when only squash matches were being shown. I don't care what anyone says, the Tito vs Perfect final match was good and the SNME rematch was OFF THE CHARTS AWESOME! A heel winning cleanly! In 1990!!!

- Recent DGUSA PPV was good. The 4 way was really good. Richochet was mind blowing. Coulda done with Adam Cole and Rich Swann switching places on the show though. Finish was something I'll never forget. How Ricochet didn't break his shoulder is beyond me. The elimination match was also really good but they really killed the crowd about 3/4 of the way through. Actually I think the exact moment the crowd died was when Yamato did his finisher to Yoshino who KICKED OUT and was back countering the next move right away. Anything they did after that got a tepid reaction and the crowd seemed more confused than anything about the double submission at the end. Main event was meh.

- Not sure if I want to devote any time to watching the new Chikara 'Young Lions Cup' shows. Think it'll be worth it? I don't recognize half the names which worries me and all my usual Chikara favorites seem MIA.

We don't have any issues. I like some stuff you don't like, you like some stuff I don't like. That is the way the world works, don't consider them issues. I am sorry there was miscommunication about the Bix DVD's, I suck at tape trading, I do remember looking, not finding them and kind of forgetting about it. Like I said I e-mailed Bix, and I will see if either he or Goodhelmet have the stuff you want, and maybe set up a trade. I obviously would love to see the match, both to review it for Segunda Caida and just to watch it, but I am not expecting it for free or anything